


Ordinary People

by NightsLikeThis



Category: WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Music, Anorexia, Crack, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, Mental Illness, being outed, discussion of past trauma, famous musician au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:21:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23524510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightsLikeThis/pseuds/NightsLikeThis
Summary: Sasha and Alexa hate each other. Or at least that’s what everyone thinks.Pop star x R&B artist AU
Relationships: Charlotte/Becky Lynch | Rebecca Knox, Sasha Banks/Alexa Bliss
Comments: 75
Kudos: 56





	1. She better call Becky with the good hair

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a prompt given to me by RelentlassHuggerSquad months ago, so shout out to her

Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss hate each other.

At least that’s what any news outlet, die hard fan, or casual listener would say.

At first the general public had assumed the two music stars had simply never crossed paths, never hung around the same group of people, or simply didn’t have anything in common, and that was a fair assumption considering their respective paths.

Alexa’s father was a famous fashion designer rich enough to give his princess anything she could dream of including a recording studio, producers, and songwriters by the age of 14. What followed was a quick climb up pop charts, her first album going platinum within a couple of months and her songs becoming a mainstay on the radio over the next couple of years.

Sasha began her career a few years later in a more grass roots manor, starting out by posting covers and original songs on YouTube before she went viral several years after uploading her first video when Snoop Dogg posted a clip of her singing on his instagram. After widespread praise for that particular clip of her singing a cover of If I Were A Boy by Beyonce that brought him to the decision to reach out to Sasha and put her in contact with other artists that could help her get a foot in the door, Queen B herself, helping Sasha negotiate a record deal with Columbia Records. And slowly, but surely by her sophomore album she became a recognized artist, winning awards like Best New Artist at the Grammys, as well as becoming a Platinum selling recording artist. 

Because of the lack of common ground between their backgrounds and the fact that they’d never publicly crossed paths most would assume that each of them barely knew of each other, probably as well as the general public knew them over the course of their close to 10 year careers.

Until of course, they’d both been nominated for Album of the Year and the internet did its job in taking a short clip of Alexa scowling when Sasha was called to accept the award and blowing it out of proportion.

In actuality, Alexa’s facial expression came in reaction to the strong smell coming from the man seated next to her, not the fact that she’d lost to Sasha, but it was too late. Both fan bases had already wholeheartedly believed that Alexa hated Sasha, and there wasn’t any taking it back.

She’d tried tweeting about it, did interviews where they’d ask about it, but it ran the course quickly and settled into people’s brains as a means of pitting the two starlets against each other regardless of if they could really remember why.

And another year had passed before Alexa really thought about Sasha or the bad press she’d caused her, until they’d both attended a smaller charity event for LGBTQ+ youth.

They hadn’t even crossed paths at said event, but Alexa had noticed on her Twitter timeline that someone had created a “best dressed list” of the celebrities that attended. Confused at the fact that someone would make something so shallow out of something meant to draw attention to a struggling cause, she sent out the tweet before she realized Sasha Banks was number one on the list.

“Very unfortunate that the donations made to this organization still get overshadowed by something as unimportant as what rich people are wearing… #YallAreTooMuch #LGBTQ+Youth #Wild”

Alexa expects the swarm of Sasha’s fans, but she doesn’t expect the notification from Sasha herself. Alexa taps in and out of the account twice to confirm the verified symbol, that’s it's actually her.

Sasha tweets

“@AlexaBliss LGBTQ issues are deeply rooted in a hindrance of self expression, we take that power back when we present ourselves the way we want regardless of what ppl think #Jealous #ReadABook #DidIJustComeOut #Oops”

Alexa reads the words over several times, trying to rack her brain for a rebuttal that proves her point concisely, hoping to walk a fine line of maintaining her pride and not making her fans think she hates Sasha, someone she’s barely crossed paths with, all over again.

“@SashaBanks Congrats, welcome to the club… let’s try not to compare people’s sexual orientations to the clothes they wrap themselves in #PopTheChampagne #Shade101”

And the rest is history: TMZ running the story several times over the course of the next week, creatively dubbed “Banks vs. Bliss”, a Buzzfeed article ranking it “Best Twitter Feud of the Year”, retweets and screenshots and the popular belief that Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks hate each other.

The only problem is they don’t.

A week after the tweets blew up, Alexa gets a call from her manager, Charlotte, late at night while she’s in bed about to go to sleep.

“Sasha Banks asked for your contact information. Just answer it when she calls, she wouldn’t take no for an answer”

And Alexa listens, mostly because she’s kind of afraid of Charlotte, but also because she’s curious, curious about what Sasha could possibly want to say to her.

Her phone rings again before she can really contemplate it fully, before the questions can fully form in her brain.

“Hello?” Alexa picks up the call from the unknown number, trying to will her voice to sound strong, but not imposing. She isn’t sure of the response she’s expecting, but the soft “Hi, is this Alexa?” is sweet enough to catch her off guard.

“Uh, yeah” Alexa answers, the front of anger gone at the calm tone of her caller's voice.

“Cool, its Sasha, by the way. I spoke to Charlotte, she said she’d let you know I was calling.”

“Yeah, she did” Alexa asserts, snuggling deeper into her blankets, still not sure where Sasha’s going with this.

“Oh sorry, you just seemed-“ Sasha starts.

“Seemed what?” Alexa cuts her off, a habit of getting defensive before someone can even move in to attack.

“Caught off guard” Sasha continues after a moment, still calm, seemingly genuine.

“I’m just not really sure why you called” The blonde breathes, realizing how her response could be received as angry.

“Look, I just wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have gone so hard right out of the gate like that. If you never wanna speak to me again I get it, but I just wanted you to know I’m sorry, I didn’t know it would blow up this much” Sasha rants trying to get it all out before Alexa can interrupt her again.

There’s a silence that follows, Alexa rubbing her feet together under her sheets in contemplation, trying to place Sasha’s voice in the right place, wonders what brought them here, or if she might have any ulterior motives. 

But truth be told Alexa’s a lover, not a fighter.

“I’m sorry too, I shoulda thought more before I tweeted, you had a point” Alexa hears herself say, surprised that she’s readily apologizing to someone she barely knows.

Sasha laughs and Alexa’s instinct is to hang up, but the laughs are not characterized by malice. Instead they flow like an old friends easy banter.

“Do I hear you admitting that I was right?” Sasha jabs, hoping it lands the right way on Alexa’s ears.

“Oh, I’d never do that” Alexa warns. 

They laugh together momentarily, a surge of finding commonality.

There’s a silence then, a place to rest their psyches together where neither is sure what comes next or if this is the end, but it’s comfortable enough to wait there to see what lies ahead.

And Alexa finds herself, wanting to break through the seal again, to find another basis of similarity. 

“So how’s life out of the closet?” Alexa asks, hoping it’s not crossing any unwritten lines, knowing a tweet about something completely different isn’t exactly an ideal way to tell the world you’re gay. 

“Good, I guess,” Sasha chuckles, “lotsa girls publicly declaring their love for me. It’s a little intense”

Alexa heart picks up then, a part of her brain wanting to push into flirting mode, but that tide has not washed over them, she swallows the itch to reply, “well, of course they would, you’re beautiful”.

Instead opting to say “Don’t worry, you get used to it.”

“Thank you for the wisdom, ma’am” Sasha jokes.

“Are you calling me old?” 

“I would never, Granny” Sasha defends herself behind a laugh, “you’ve just been out since before the dinosaurs went extinct”

Alexa files away the fact that Sasha knows about her past, before continuing the conversation.

“I was outed when I was 15, there’s a difference” Alexa drops with a hint of attitude, she can see where Sasha might turn it around, use the bits of annoyance to start a fight, or make the change to remind Alexa of the trauma she endured, but Sasha adds another joke, ignoring the unrest in Alexa’s voice, in favor of keeping her laughing. 

“Yeah, that was like before I was born, You’re just so wise about this stuff, old lady”

“Haha,” Alexa states dryly, “I’m pretty sure we’re like the same age”

“So, You’ve been keeping tabs on me Bliss?” 

“Gotta keep an eye on the competition, Banks”

“Oh I didn’t know it was like that.” Sasha snickers, “I guess I better keep my eyes open” 

And there’s that easy laughter again, a soft smile that stays on Alexa’s lips as she contemplates how they got to this point seemingly so quickly.

“Sasha,” Alexa breaks the silence again, waiting for the slight “hmm” that tells her she has Sasha’s attention, “Thank you” she offers earnestly, “for calling. It’s nice to know there’s good people out there” 

But Sasha feels how heavy the words are, laughs nervously at the way Alexa tries to give her a lump some of gratitude, “eh I don’t know about _good people,_ they’re saying we set this whole thing up to draw more attention to the charity, I wish I was that smart” 

“Maybe next time we’ll stage a fight to encourage women voters”

Sasha laughs knowing the tide has shifted back to joking, “I’m in” 

They hang up shortly after, a press of wanting to hold on but not knowing why.

Alexa sighs, reminding herself that everything happens for a reason, she saves Sasha’s number. 

And then she’s left with a new charge of curiousity, a surge of wondering how much this changes the course of her future, or if she’ll fondly remember this moment as a blip in the timeline, a small reminder that the world isn’t as cruel as she believes it be.

She types “Sasha Banks” into her search bar on her phone and waits for the page to load. She looks through images trying to convince herself that the butterflies aren’t there, that the curve of Sasha’s thighs, the sparkle of her smile don’t do things to her. 

She passes by a few shots from paparazzi, a sequence of off guard pictures of her walking out of a restaurant, with two muscled up men assuming maybe they’re body guards, but then there’s a face that comes up more often than there’s; a pale woman with orange hair, walking next to or with Sasha on several occasions. Pictures of her at Sasha’s concerts and meet and greets. She opens Sasha’s Instagram and follows her, the end of an era of pretending the purple haired girl doesn’t exist, and she tries her best to end it there, tries not to fall into the trap of Instagram stalking her all the way back to her first post, but the scrolling starts easily.

And to Alexa’s surprise, the orange haired woman comes up again, pictures of them on a tour bus, a bathing suit photo shoot of just Sasha but photo credits given to this Becky girl. 

It’s not jealousy that bubbles in her stomach, or at least that’s what she tells herself. Whoever Becky is she’s just lucky. So Alexa swallows her pride and takes the phone call as just what she’d expected: a one time thing, a moment of reflection, a reminder that people aren’t all bad. 

Because Sasha has a girlfriend, how could she not. But it doesn’t change that Alexa dreams of her laugh.

—-

“Why are you laughing so loud, lass?” Becky strolls into Sasha’s kitchen, opening the fridge to get some ice cream.

“Oh, I was just on the phone” Sasha answers absentmindedly, hoping her best friend and assistant doesn’t read into it further, as she texts her manager, Titus, a “Thank you” for helping her get in touch with Alexa’s manager. 

“Musta been someone good to have you laughing like that” Becky answers, trying not to show her supreme curiosity about anyone potentially working their way into her best friend's life. 

“Eh, not really”

“How long have we known each other?” Becky tries another mode of getting to her, still seeming uninterested, focused on scooping peanut butter ice cream into a mug.

“I don’t know, since middle school, a long ass time Becks”

“So you should know, that I know when you’re hiding something” Becky finally makes her mark, pointing her spoon at Sasha in accusation. 

“Fine. I was on the phone with Alexa, if you must know” Sasha doesn’t look up, making a move to push out her stool from the kitchen island and get away from Becky before she could ask any more questions. But the Irish woman is too quick, pushing Sasha’s stool back under the counter to keep her there.

“So it went well? Did you tell her you’re in love with her?” Becky asks casually, picking up her spoon again as if she hadn’t just held Sasha hostage. 

“I’m not in love with her” 

“Well, maybe not yet”

“Becky, can we just let it go” Sasha sighs, not wanting to get her hopes up for a woman she’s talked to once.

“And risk not humiliating you every chance I get? I don’t think so”

Sasha’s used to Becky, used to their banter, the way they know each other so well, but she’s not used to this, actually liking someone, or being able to express it publicly, and she knows Becky’s intentions are good, but putting herself out there is scary, so for now she’ll be content with the fact that she even spoke to Alexa.

So she moves to push away again, and walks out of the kitchen, but of course Becky follows her. The red head’s voice starting up again as Sasha’s head crashes into her pillow.

“Look, I know you’ve been interested in her for a long time, and you never felt comfortable with being out until recently, and all this bad press got in the way, but don’t you think now's as good a time as ever, especially if she’s got you laughing that hard on the first phone call”

Sasha sighs. “Fine you’re right” The purple haired singer fixes Becky with a look of anger for making her admit something like that. 

“Hey, don’t look at me like that, you told me to move in and I did, don’t act like you want me gone, it’s too late” Becky jokes putting her hands up in defense.

“You’re annoying” Sasha grumbles, turning over and pulling her blanket over her head.

“You love me” Becky tries to instigate, knowing the truth.

“Yeah yeah, would ya turn out the light, assistant?”


	2. Everybody business

Perhaps calling Sasha back the next night is too forward, too quick to make a habit out of reaching out to someone she barely knows, but Alexa can’t help the way her thoughts mostly consist of soft peaks of laughter and Sasha’s sarcastic voice.

It filters back and forth in her head all day through brunch with Charlotte, a radio interview, and a meeting with her record label, whether it’s too much weight in assuming Sasha wants to talk to her, or even so soon, or that calling makes it clear that she’s way more invested than Sasha could ever be, makes her intentions seem too certain.

And she knows there’s a part of her too, that is too hungry for emotional attachment, a friend, someone who gets it. Because as much as she loves Charlotte, sometimes she feels like she’s suffocating the older woman, keeping her from her work, and she couldn’t fully understand what this lifestyle was like, even as her manager and truly, her only friend.

She huffs loudly as she settles in her bed for the night, always reeling at the hollow echo that comes in its wake. Money and fame had brought her shelter, and a comfortable cushion of money to throw around: her town house in a private gated community, the custom pillows where she currently lay her head, but she still had no one to share it with.

She knows it’s wishful thinking, hopping on the first train that passes her by, but she feels something different with Sasha, like a hand reaching out to set her on fire even for just a moment.

And she tells herself to leave it be that the one call served its purpose in a ceasefire, in setting the record straight that this “feud” was over, but the nag in her stomach won’t leave it alone.

So she opens her recent calls and taps Sasha’s name, holding her breath.

“Ello” A voice calls after two rings that draw the remaining air out of Alexa’s lungs, but the voice isn’t Sasha’s, the slight accent is easy to pick up, along with the fact that the two syllables fail to give Alexa butterflies. 

“Hi,” Alexa tries not to sound too startled, trying to piece together the possibilities, because perhaps Sasha called from a company phone, even if it seemed intimate enough for Sasha to seek out Alexa’s personal phone number. She tries not to sound thrown, or so overly nervous, “..is, uh, Sasha there?”

“....oooo yer, lookin’ for Sashy?” The voice calls, taunting.

There're a million thoughts that run through Alexa’s head, what to say, how to react, who the hell she’s talking to, but the strongest of her thoughts is the one screaming that calling was a mistake.

She’s about to apologize, make some excuse about having the wrong number, bury her head under her pillow, and avoid Sasha for the rest of her life.

But she’s stopped by the sound of a commotion on the line, a far off call of “give me my phone”, followed by a harsh slam.

There’s a rustling of fabric against the speaker before

“Hey, sorry, that was Becky, always answering my calls even though I tell her to mind her business, what’s up?” Sasha’s voice comes in clearly, a resurge or butterflies, but a harsh push against her heart.

Alexa laughs nervously, trying to push away all the intrusive thoughts. 

_Becky._

The girl from Sasha’s Instagram, _Sasha’s girlfriend._

Before Alexa can truly reply, she hears the accented voice this time a little farther

away, “I gotta make sure all yer’ side hoes know I’m the main”

What comes next is the sound of Sasha dropping the phone again, a firm thump onto her bed, before a loud “OWW”.

“Sorry again, I had to throw a pillow at her. You were saying?” Sasha speaks again, this time seeming like she’s ready to give Alexa her full attention.

“Uh, nothing,” Alexa laughs for real this time, feeling relieved in the realm of knowing for a fact that this was Sasha’s number, but feeling the panic hidden underneath that she had no business lusting after someone in a relationship.

“Nah, you called for a reason. You okay?” Sasha pushes slightly, hoping it’s not too much, suddenly encouraged by the idea that perhaps Alexa was in need of something or wasn’t okay.

“Yeah! Yeah. I’m okay. I just- it was nice talking to you last night” Alexa tries, hoping to put whatever this conversation is on a track that she can deal with.

“You called me to tell me that?” Sasha asks, but it doesn’t come off as mean or accusatory, it sits in the air like a wistful wondering, where Sasha is awed that Alexa is making herself vulnerable, that she’d admit that to her.

“Yeah” Alexa chirps, making herself physically small, as if to hide herself away from any prying eyes, even if Sasha can only hear her voice. 

“Well, it was nice talking to you too” Sasha reassures.

There’s a comfortable silence for a moment, a place of settling hearts and placated reassurance, before Alexa is over compensating for the fact that she can’t tell if Sasha feels that tranquility too.

“Um” Alexa starts.

“Hmm”

“How was your day?” The blonde tries again, feeling stupid as the words come tumbling.

Sasha smiles at the apparent nerves, biting back the desire to reply with a smug “ _better now that I’m talking to you”_

“It was okay. Today was an off day for me, just hung around the house, played some Mario Kart even though Becky screams every time she falls off Rainbow road” Sasha laughs and Alexa can’t help, but laugh along with her. “What about you?”

“Eh, radio interview and a meeting, not too bad”

“Did they ask about me?” Sasha asks seemingly perked up, Alexa can hear the smile in her voice, can feel the shine in her eyes.

Alexa scoffs at the excitement, “yeah, actually” but doesn’t further explain.

“Sooo, you gonna tell me what they asked?” Sasha pushes forward at the silence.

“Why don’t you go watch the interview yourself?” The blonde teases.

“Mmm” Sasha pouts, “while it would be nice to see your face, I’d have to stop talking to you to play it on my phone and my laptop is on the other side of my room and I’m lazy soooo”

“So get up, bozo” Alexa laughs. 

“You’re so mean to me” the purple haired musician mumbles in a faux hurt voice, “now I have to get out of bed”

Alexa giggles trying to conceal the part of her brain that short circuits thinking about Sasha in bed, even fully clothed.

“Okay, I’m sorry, do you forgive me?”

“Depends on what you said in the interview, lady” Sasha warns, groaning as she pushes herself up from her mattress. 

“Fine, fine. Pull up the video”

“Be patient, woman”

Alexa hears a quick rhythm of keyboard clicks, presuming Sasha put her on speaker before the sound of the interviewer's voice comes out of the speaker clearly.

An uneventful minute goes by of the man asking about Alexa’s upcoming album and a potential music video for a single, a hushed compliment of “your makeup looks really good here” falls from Sasha’s lips and a sheepish “thank you” in reply.

“So there’s been a lot of talk about you and Sasha Banks. People want to know, was that whole situation staged?”

Alexa in the video laughs, as the two listeners stay silent. 

“Not at all, I think we both just reacted too quickly, said things too harshly”

“Would you say there’s any truth to people saying you two are enemies?” He asks, and Alexa is used to this drill, trying to spur on any rumors, good or bad.

“Definitely not, I don’t have any ill will towards her” Alexa answers.

Sasha lets out an “aw” at her answer feeling like perhaps the world would stop putting them against each other now.

But her thoughts come too soon, before she can fully process it, because the interviewer can’t seem to let it go.

“Now there’s a small group of Sasha’s fans tweeting about how you quote “practically forced her out of the closet” Would you like to comment on that?”

Alexa on screen shifts her weight in her seat, visibly swallowing, thrown by the fact that those comments even exist.

“I- Outing someone is disrespectful and dangerous, I would know better than anyone” Alexa’s voice shakes, her face going red, her eyes growing glossy, “their claims are far reaching, I didn’t force Sasha to admit anything she didn’t want to” 

Sasha pauses the video, a harsh push against her space button before any more words can be said.

A firm silence follows for a second, Alexa bracing for something she’s not ready for.

“I’m sorry” Alexa tries when the silence isn’t filled, “I know that’s probably gonna start up all the rumors agai-“

“Alexa”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t need to apologize” Sasha breathes out, trying to find the right words, “those comments, the fact that he questioned you with no warning, that’s really unfair. I’m sorry you had to-“

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but…”

Silence again. This time cloaked in uncertainty.

“Really, it’s okay, he was just doing his job” Alexa tries again, when she’s caught her breath.

“Well his job sucks” Sasha gruffs angrily.

Alexa doesn’t answer.

“Sorry” Sasha tries again, “I shouldn’t be directing my anger at you. I just- I can see the headlines now” she pauses, adopting a mocking masculine voice, “Alexa Bliss Disses Sasha Banks’ Fans. Sasha And Alexa Feud Renewed. Alexa Hates Sasha More Than We Thought?” Another breath, “it’s exhausting”

“You know how many times I’ve tried to set the record straight?,” Alexa scoffs softly, it’s not worth it, they don’t listen.” 

Sasha laughs, “you can say that again”

“Wait!”

“What’s up?” The purple haired woman perks up from her content resolve.

“I have an idea”

——

“You have a coffee date?” 

“It’s not a date, Becky” Sasha corrects her, shifting through her purse for something on her dining room table .

“You. And Alexa. Are going out for coffee. That, my good ol’ friend. Is a date” Becky retorts trying to get Sasha to read it that way.

“We just wanna be seen together in public to let people know we don’t hate each other.” 

“Oh that’s easy, once people hear you laugh from one of her jokes, they’ll know of yer undying forbidden love” Becky lays out the plan like she could already see it all unfolding.

“No one's hearing anything, we tipped off some paps of where we’re gonna be and we’re just gonna get our pictures taken together, problem solved.” Sasha explains further, still shuffling through her things, “besides her managers gonna be there”

Becky makes a face at that, a pause in her antagonistic personality to be filled with a question she doesn’t necessarily want to voice.

“What, Becky?”

Becky plays with her fingers momentarily, having the decency to look sheepish while she asks, “is her manager cute?” She waits for Sasha to give her a death stare before shooting out her next question before Sasha’s anger can truly manifest, “what are you even looking for?”

“My red lipstick” the remark comes out easily before Sasha realizes her mistake, Becky is smiling knowingly before Sasha can take it back.

“Oh, you mean the red lipstick you said was only for special occasions?” Becky offers with a smug smile.

“Okay, I get it, Becks, message received” Sasha deflates, seeming like the joke has washed over her the wrong way, suddenly missing the teasing anger under her skin, replaced with sorrow, fear.

Becky frowns at the change, a pout taking over her face “it’s in your bathroom, in your silver make up bag”

Sasha looks to Becky, communicating a form of short gratitude but still no certain relief. Sasha leaves Becky in the dining room to retrieve her lipstick.

Becky grumbles underneath her breath “and the award for best assistant goes to….Becky Lynch woooo” 

Becky takes the time alone to breathe, picking up the thrown around items on the table and carefully putting them back in Sasha’s bag, even though she knows Sasha will mess up the organization sooner rather than later. 

She would do anything for Sasha, little things that she does without thought everyday to make her life a little easier: like now organizing her purse, or making sure she gets to venues and events in time, holding her phone while she’s on stage, wiping her hands with Lysol wipes after every new fan at her meet and greets, but she hopes Sasha knows that translates to the bigger things. Being friends since middle school, Becky knows everything about Sasha, knows the harsh front is part of their dynamic, that they both would take bullets for each other if it ever came to that, but there’s just been this boundary for the last month or so, really since she’s been contemplating coming out.

And Becky can understand that her friend needs space, needs to navigate the world without using Becky as a crutch, but there’s still a part of her that wishes she could ease all that pain.

Sasha returns a moment later, red lipstick on and ready to go, she takes her bag off the table, sending another grateful look Becky’s way, this time accompanied by a half smile they both know is forced. 

Sasha moves to walk away, but Becky’s hand catches her wrist, stops her from leaving.

“What?” Sasha asks, free from any anger. Just exhaustion coating her mouth. 

“Teeth check” Becky voices, referring to their ritual of Becky checking to make sure no lipstick stuck to Sasha’s teeth, “gotta make a good first impression on your girl”

Sasha obliges in favor of ignoring Becky’s joke even if it came out softer than her earlier punches, she opens her lips to reveal her clenched teeth for Becky to study momentarily, a face that never fails to make Becky laugh.

It always reminds her of 14 year old Sasha, with braces and blonde highlights, no make-up, the person she loved before the riches and fame, the girl who let her copy her homework, the girl who could sing like no one else, who cared more about music than Becky cared about her own physical well being. 

It’s soft times like these that remind Becky of late night conversations, when Sasha first got her license (Becky failed twice) and they’d drive the side streets of Boston in the dark and Sasha would promise her that if she ever made it to the top, she’d take Becky with her. 

“All good” Becky looks her over, after making sure the red didn’t mark anything but her lips. “I’ll walk you out?”

Sasha only nods.

“Ya know I only want to help you, right?” Becky offers, her hands in her pockets as they make it into Sasha’s garage where her blue Aston Martin waits for her.

Sasha looks at her, rolling her eyes at the prospect that she could ever believe Becky had ulterior motives.

She opens her car door for Sasha to step in, holding it open so she can continue talking.

“Listen, I know this is the first girl you’ve had feelings for since coming out, and I know yer scared of getting hurt, publicly at that, but yer not gonna know if ya don’t try” Becky shrugs, hoping to pull back some of the anxiety she can feel coming off of her best friend.

Sasha looks up at her from the driver's seat, taking a moment to really look at her, “Thanks, Becks” comes out genuinely, a small smile that plays on her lips, the truth of it back in her eyes. 

“That’s what I’m here for” Becky shrugs again, always quick to brush off the “help” she offers, still not comfortable with the fact that she gets paid to be the best best friend on the planet.

There’s quiet for a minute, Sasha soaking in the weight of Becky’s words, Becky making sure Sasha really heard them, before Becky pipes up again.

“Ya never answered my question.” Becky states like she’s genuinely curious about a serious matter, waits for Sasha to raise her eyebrows, a sign to continue.

“Is Alexa’s manager cute?”

Sasha rolls her eyes once more.

“Get in the car, Becky”

The Irishwoman smiles ear to ear, slamming Sasha’s door closed and scrambling toward the passenger side.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I kinda lost inspiration for this/hated Alexa for no reason for like 2 days anyway...once I actually forced myself to write I was literally fine, moral of the story is I’m a drama queen but we already knew that...anyway 
> 
> Also this is getting a lot deeper than I originally intended so there’s that...more content for you... more work for me....😂
> 
> Anyway lmk what y’all think


	3. be careful with me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like ppl hate the word wet lowkey...so warning i use the word "wet" like 5 times....not in the dirty way tho...

To say Alexa was nervous to “meet” Sasha was an understatement. They’d connected eyes in passing at events, were often tagged together in celebrity threads, had talked on the phone twice now, but this was different. Talking face to face, introducing the new element of Charlotte, not having an out, the fact that they knew paparazzi would be taking photos throughout the whole altercation. It was overwhelming.

But Charlotte had done her job in sitting Alexa down at an outside table, had tried her best to keep Alexa calm among the possibilities of mistake, the undying nerves. 

“Thank you, I’m glad you’re here” Alexa breathes steadily as Charlotte comes back with two cups of coffee for them as they wait for Sasha.

Charlotte laughs at what she deems an unnecessary amount of anxiety. “Why am I here anyway? You don’t wanna be alone with your lady friend?”

Alexa squints her eyes in accusation as if to question Charlotte’s implications, “This mission requires back-up” she offers, sighing, “I don’t want Sasha thinking I have ulterior motives of making the world think we're dating when I know she has a girlfriend.”

“Ah” Charlotte chirps in understanding, “I see, but are we so sure they’re together? Like has she told you that?”

“No” Alexa deadpans as if Charlotte is naive to question her, “but she’s in like 40% of her instagram photos, and she picked up Sasha’s phone when I called her last night, they have to be at least sleeping together” 

Charlotte laughs behind her coffee cup, trying to save herself from Alexa’s death glare, “Whatever you say, princess”

It’s just as Alexa’s about to try to further convince her, that a woman casts a shadow over their table catching their attention.

Alexa looks up at the figure finding who she knows to be Becky, and it's all that she expects, orange hair, smug grin, a lack of nerves, something Alexa can’t relate to, she tacks it onto her list of reasons Sasha could never go for a girl like her.

“Becky” the woman introduces herself holding her hand out for Alexa, and then Charlotte to shake, “I’m with Sasha, she went to get us drinks, she should be right back”

“Charlotte, Alexa’s manager” she offers her name with a smile, trying not to assume anything of this seemingly genuine person, even if Alexa had already prefaced the situation, “Take a seat, we don’t bite”

Alexa, first, wonders if Sasha had mentioned that Becky would be joining them and if it had just slipped her mind. She feels like it's something she would have remembered, and in the grand scheme of things it’s not really a big deal, because Alexa had brought Charlotte along, but the pop star hadn’t exactly mentally prepared for the fact that she’d be meeting Sasha’s girlfriend today too.

“So how do you and Sasha know each other?” Charlotte questions after Becky has taken a moment to get herself comfortable. 

Alexa kicks her under the table, knowing what the blonde is trying to do, but Charlotte doesn’t even wince at the action, keeps unaffected eye contact with Becky.

“On paper, I’m her assistant, but we’ve been friends since middle school” Becky answers easily.

Alexa tries not to read too carefully into the way Becky’s accent sounds less prominent now around people she doesn’t know than it did on the phone. She tries not to start a list of reasons why Becky isn’t good enough for Sasha, that this small change in tone has anything to do with Becky being disingenuous.

Becky looks around after that, trying to find Sasha amongst the crowd inside, a little uncomfortable without Sasha. Becky talks a big game, but Charlotte  _ is  _ cute, cuter than she expected, actually  _ fuckin’ hot  _ if Becky were to put it in words. Charlotte takes the distraction to look at Alexa, she mouths “friends” silently raising her eyebrows, as if to mock Becky’s prior words, an indication that Alexa’s assumptions are wrong. But Alexa only rolls her eyes, proves herself stubborn to the chance that she’d read too far into Becky and Sasha’s relationship.

Becky turns back to find the two women looking uneffected, smiling a little too innocently. 

“How long have you two been a couple?” Alexa spits out with a little bite, suddenly uncaring about how the answer will make her skin crawl, in favor of proving Charlotte wrong.

“Who? Me and Sash?” Becky’s face scrunches up in confusion, “were not-” her demeanor switches to amusement, “we’re just friends, not anything else, lass” now openly laughing at the prospect of her and Sasha as anything, but best friends, the irony of it all. 

Alexa recoils, trying not to give away all her secrets in the same breath of her surprise.

“Nope, I’m completely single” Becky smiles, giving Charlotte a wink.

What comes next no one could prepare for, a crash of too much too fast, and it’s no one’s fault really, no one’s but the universe, who put the perfect dip in the concrete for Sasha’s foot to cling to, gave her just enough momentum to fall forward with two iced drinks in her hands, placed her in just the right position to cover Alexa in coffee and milk, it's almost a rush of too much happening, but not enough to cover the distinct sound of cameras flashing, a cascade of clicks that pass over them, no time to step in or correct the mistake. 

Sasha turns too quickly, brushing over a soaked Alexa to find the source of the sound, but she only sees the backs of heads, two men running off, eager to sell the photos she’s sure.

“Fuck!” she exclaims, overcome with the continued annoyance of the world reading the situation wrong, throwing the now empty plastic cups on the ground in a wave of uninhibited anger.

When she turns back, Becky is there looking smug, her feet now resting on the table, her arms resting behind her head as if to say “I told you so” without the arrogance of the actual words, Charlotte has the decency to look sorry, maybe because the consequences more directly affect her, but the only sentiment is a shoulder shrug.

And Alexa, well Alexa, isn't in her seat, she gets the back of her head too, a rush of blonde hair pushing through the cafe towards the restroom.

“Fuck” Sasha lets out again, this time at the realization that not only was the mistake was caught on camera, but that it brings forth another issue entirely.

Becky looks at her again, this time a hefty line of encouragement, a silent communication in the way she rocks her head back in the direction Alexa went, a nonchalant press of “Go get yer girl”. Sasha can hear Becky’s voice ringing through her head even if she doesn’t actually say it.

Sasha sighs, filing away the anger for later, pushing out the empathetic side of her heart, and follows Alexa.

\---

Alexa hears the door swing open, the handle smacking the wall makes it hard to hold in the flinch, but Sasha is there, behind her, looking at her through the mirror, and there’s a flush where the fear in her bones vanishes.

“You okay?” Sasha tries, all tentative and soft.

“Uh, yeah” Alexa looks down at herself, takes in the mess of light brown covering her pink shirt, “just a little wet”

Sasha tries not to stare, tries not to trace the outline of Alexa’s black bra underneath the sticky wetness pooling over her chest, tries to find the way Alexa’s eyes shine in defeat instead.

“I’m really sorry” Sasha offers, but Alexa doesn’t answer, grabs paper towels and turns on one of the faucets.

“I tripped and i just-”

“It’s okay, I’m not mad,” Alexa sighs, finding Sasha’s eyes in the mirror again, “I know it was an accident”

The eye contact holds for a moment, it feels warm, the sound of running water coming to stream against the pace of thoughts in both of their heads. 

The calm is broken by the sound of the bathroom door opening again, a woman actually trying to use the bathroom. Alexa and Sasha reflexively duck, a force of habit in not getting recognized. Sasha briefly regrets not wearing a ball cap to hide her face. “Yer hair is freakin’ purple!” Becky always reminds her like she has no place in acting like she could ever effectively hide.

They wait for the woman to leave, a tense silence where Alexa still does her best to clean the mess off of her while Sasha shuffles slightly, looks at her feet as the woman washes her hands and leaves. If the stranger chances them any dirty looks, neither of them pay it any mind.

Sasha looks up again as the door closes once more. There’s an exhausted huff that she can’t hold back at the sight of Alexa giving up, her shirt only getting wetter, the stain not dissipating. 

“Here” Sasha rushes out, pulling her light camo jacket off, to offer Alexa, thanking God that she hadn’t let Becky talk her out of wearing it in the heat of midday Los Angeles. 

Alexa turns to take it off her hands, a thankful yet bashful smile, but she toys with the zipper, comtemplates it before putting it on. 

“Shit” Sasha chastises herself, turning around swiftly to face the wall, gives Alexa ample time to take the wet garment off, before replacing it with Sasha’s sweater.

Too much clouds Sasha’s mind as she listens to the suction of soaked fabric break its seal from Alexa’s porcelain skin, hears the shuffle of something. She thinks of an article she’d read a few years back and the spectacle the world had made of Alexa being homest about her battle with anorexia, reminds her of the way the media had not so carefully dealt with the news of her depression diagnosis. She vaguely wonders if it’s still something Alexa struggles with, so much so that she doesn’t let anyone see her without a shirt on, but then she’s chastising herself for making assumptions, painting a picture of Alexa with the things she knows second hand, rinsed and repeated through the news cycle until the words become untrue, ugly, instead of the things Alexa has gifted her from her own mouth.

  
  


“All good” Alexa whispers into the thick air, as Sasha hears the whir of the zipper coming together.

  
  


“I’m sorry, again” Sasha pleads once more, even if she knows very well that Alexa isn’t mad, this time looking right at Alexa and not just her reflection.

“Really, it’s fine.”

“They took pictures” Sasha supplies as if it gives the blonde good reason to hate her.

“I know” Alexa laughs, places her hand over Sasha’s rested on the sink between them, “It’s still okay” suddenly reminding herself that Becky is out of the picture, that Sasha is single.

“You’re not mad that they’re gonna write more articles about us hating each other?”

Alexa takes a moment, tries not to overthink the way she instinctually strokes Sasha’s knuckles, or the way brown eyes settle on her waiting earnestly for her response.

“I mean it’s not ideal, but  _ we know the truth _ ” 

Sasha and Alexa can both feel the weight of the words. The  _ truth.  _ That there isn’t hatred in blue irises swimming in chocolate puddles, there’s something else hidden in the way she says her name, the way Sasha offers Alexa her sweater because she can’t bear to see her struggle anymore, the delicate phone calls, and shared laughter.

The truth takes Alexa’s breath away, even if it feels so soon, so simple.

“Okay?” Alexa asks, because Sasha isn’t answering her, just looking at her, she vaguely wonders if her eyes always have that sparkle.

“Yeah, okay,” Sasha coughs, setting herself back in the present, her eyes seem to mist ever so slightly, as she draws her hand back from Alexa’s enough to break free from a hold that felt almost too good to be true, “We should probably get back to Charlotte and Becky”

Alexa agrees, a public restroom not exactly the setting she’d dreamed up for their first in-person heart to heart.

They find Charlotte and Becky in the same place they’d left them, but now Charlotte’s concentration is on Becky’s phone, typing for a few moments before handing it back to Becky.

“Made friends that quick?” Sasha plays dumb, knowing Becky’s superior ability in getting in girl’s pants, for all the rumors that Sasha was some slut that slid in and out of bed with random men, Becky could compete with in dancing too sexually at bars or getting new numbers put in her phone, and it seemed Charlotte wasn’t an exception to the rule.

“You guys wanna get out of here?” Alexa glances between the three of them, letting Charlotte have her moment of victory for now in favor of getting away from any more potential disasters.

“Sure” Becky stands up, “Where are ya parked?” she questions, eager to walk Charlotte to their car, hold on for another moment, find the opportunity to instigate another raunchy comment.

The four of them walk to the car in pairs, Charlotte and Becky in front, Sasha and Alexa not far behind. Alexa rolls her eyes at the thought that Charlotte’s too easily distracted to be her faux bodyguard, but looks at Sasha's biceps now open in the air without her jacket, knowing Sasha would bust someone’s nose if need be.

She tries not to think about the way their fingers brush or the way Sasha pulls away from the contact, “too soon” she tries to convince herself over believing Sasha doesn’t want it. She tries to focus instead on the way Charlotte is laughing from her ribcage, instead of nagging her about getting her ass in the studio to record.

Becky’s got her smooth talker voice on as she’s opening Charlotte’s door for her, a call of “I’ll text ya later, blondie” before biting her lip.

Sasha shaking her head at Becky’s textbook advances, Alexa rolling her eyes at how easily Charlotte’s falling for it.

Sasha moves to offer Alexa a wave, unsure where the boundary lies, but Alexa’s pulling her into a hug, a push of understanding that the connection is received on both ends, that the same sentiments were shared.

It’s soft and doesn’t ask for much more than to live for that moment.

Sasha calls Becky’s name three times before she’s sending Charlotte one last wink, sauntering away towards Sasha. Alexa hops in the passenger seat with a final wave, a moment of prolonged eye contact before the car is driving away.

“Can we go now?” Sasha chimes in when the car starts to move and Becky hasn’t.

“No, ya dope, ya gotta wait for it” Becky throws her arms toward Sasha without looking away from Charlotte’s side profile in mock anger, as if Sasha was crazy for suggesting they move.

“Wait for what?”

But sure enough before Becky can answer, Charlotte is chancing a look in their direction, smiling as if she was caught in the act of stealing a final glance at Becky, a blush fills her pale cheeks before she’s rushing to look away and hitting the gas pedal.

“The final glance” Becky offers it like a lesson, “You gotta hold on, let em know yer watching too”

Sasha rolls her eyes with a chuckle, not fully convinced.

Becky shoves her just enough to throw her slightly off balance, setting them in pace to start walking towards Sasha’s car down the block, “this is why yer single, lass”

“You are too, Becks”

“Not for long” Becky smiles ear to ear.

\----

“You wanna explain to me why I got a call from the record company saying to prepare a statement?” Titus, Sasha’s manager, questions through Sasha’s car bluetooth as they drive home from the cafe. His voice beams loudly through the surround sound speakers, Becky turning down the volume with a scowl as Sasha sighs.

“Wow, news travels fast” Becky marvels genuinely.

“It wasn’t my fault, Titus. I dumped coffee on Alexa on accident and they took pictures, they're gonna run more stories, but it’s nothing we can’t handle”

“Oh” Titus chirps adopting more of his usual fatherly tone, “he made it sound like you murdered someone, well there’s still the chance of the public vilifying you, but not as bad as I thought, you have to be more careful, Sasha”

“I'm sure most people will think I’m just getting revenge, and yeah I know ‘if you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it again’ or whatever you're always saying” Sasha argues.

“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it  _ over”  _ Becky corrects her without missing a beat, always ready to be the “favorite child”.

Titus laughs, “Good, Becky”

“Anyway, can we just let this one ride out and see how it goes, we keep tryna fight these rumors, when maybe we should just be leaving it alone, doesn’t change anything anyway” Sasha huffs, tired of the business end that comes with made up drama.

“Keep your head up, kid. We’ll do it your way, see how it goes. I’ll talk to you two ladies later, alright?”

“Uncle Titus?” Becky affectionately calls out to him, as she has since they met almost 10 years ago, even if Sasha rolls her eyes at it  _ every single time,  _ “I gotta girl’s number” she brags to him, knowing he always laughs at her antics.

“A number per week, playa?” Titus laughs with his chest.

“Yes, sir”

Sasha just shakes her head, wondering how she’d become the most mature of her team, waiting for the shit storm of another scandal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ACTUALLy didnt hate this chapter while writing it!!! IS THIS ME TURNING A NEW LEAF? lets not get our hopes upppp
> 
> anyway now alexa knows that becky and sasha arent dating sooo what is sis gonna do about that??
> 
> also becky is a fool but we love her anywat....


	4. its too cold for you here

“Soooo Becky?” Alexa voices against the silence that takes Charlotte and her over as they drive away from the cafe, wondering how the tide had shifted so quickly from strangers to flirty in the timespan that Alexa and Sasha were in the bathroom.

“Yeah,” Charlotte smiles keeping her eyes trained on the road, “I figured if she’s busy with me, she won’t be able to confess this relentless romantic love she has for Sasha, ya know the one that you made up in your head.”

“You could’ve just said ‘I told you so’,” Alexa grumbles, crossing her arms, a ploy of faux anger that Charlotte is used to.

She laughs off Alexa’s attempt at throwing a pity party before setting the course for something more serious.

“No, but for real. She’s cute, she seems nice.” The driver shrugs off Alexa’s try at making her conversation with Becky into something more than it was, “How’d your little bathroom rendezvous with Lady Banks go? I see you have her jacket.” 

“Good, I kinda like held her hand for a second,” the popstar pauses, still trying to process it, “It was weird, but good. She kept apologizing, but I wasn’t mad at her, just like annoyed at the situation.”

“You could never be mad at her, you have a crush on her” Charlotte chuckles matter of factly, chancing a glance towards her passenger as if to challenge her.

“I don’t-” Alexa starts, willful and ready to fight back, but then “No, okay, you’re right, I have a crush on her” she ends up letting it go, knowing Charlotte wouldn’t do her more harm than teasing her about it, that it would be nice to talk about with someone other than herself.

“Wow” Charlotte nods in approval, “Didn’t know we were being honest about our feelings today, blondie”

Alexa knows there isn’t any venom behind the words, Charlotte’s just used to Alexa’s guard being up even when it’s just the two of them.

“Figured we’d try something new,  _ Dr. Blondie” _

\----

Recording right now sort of seems hopeless for Sasha and her producer and collaborator, Ricochet, is picking up on it. 

Sasha’s been in the booth all of 30 minutes, but they both know she’s off her game: something in the way the articles, social media, and TMZ coverage are pouring in after yesterday’s events, a nervous plague of it being her fault that the coffee had landed on Alexa, but also that she’d directed Titus and her team to ignore it. It didn’t help that Titus had called her four times today, or that she could sense the slight edge of fear in his voice, that perhaps they’d taken the wrong road in forgoing making an official statement, or even sending a tweet trying to explain the situation.

She gruffs in frustration, after singing the same phrase incorrectly for the eighth time, pulling off her headphones to rest around her neck and shaking her head at herself as she steps away from the microphone and begins to pace.

“We can stop?, try again tomorrow?” Ricochet’s calm voice bleeds into the recording booth for her to hear, it reminds her of sanity, that whatever happens the music will still be there.

“I’m sorry, Ric, I’m just..”

His voice jumps in once more as Sasha trails off, “Dude, it's fine, I swear. We both know how much of a perfectionist you are about this stuff” Ricochet chuckles to himself knowing the meticulous patterns of recording and re-recording takes until Sasha deems them good enough (even if they all sound beautiful).

The two co-workers/friends are suddenly stolen from their quiet moment by the intense drag of the studio door thrusting open, catching both of their attention.

“If it isn’t my favorite superstar” comes the dramatic, over-happy voice of Sasha’s ex-girlfriend.

“Bayley?” Sasha scowls, not knowing why the hell the woman still finds it appropriate to show up in places where Sasha is just trying to do her job.

Sasha takes off her headphones and exits the recording booth as fast as possible, hoping to make a speedy departure before Bayley can push her way into something they’ll both regret, but of course the older woman has other ideas.

“Hey, babygirl” Bayley smirks, thinking Sasha’s quick movements are due to wanting to be in Bayley’s personal space, rather than her desire to escape it. 

“Bay, for the hundredth time, please stop calling me that, we broke up months ago” Sasha rants in a tone that shouldn’t leave Bayley with any ‘but’s but of course the brunette will find a reason.

Ricochet coughs, trying to escape as well, but not wanting to leave Sasha alone, “Um, do you want me to stay?” 

Sasha sighs knowing this was part of why she and Bayley broke up in the first place, aside from her weird possessive tendencies, she never acknowledged Ricochet’s or Becky’s existence, to her it was the idea that Sasha should give her her undivided attention at all times, but Sasha can handle this. She’d taken on Bayley before and she could do it again. Being on the other side of the relationship, she felt too free to ever get trapped in those jaws again. 

“No, I’m good, you can go, thanks Rico”, Sasha pushes out hoping to display her appreciation, but also the reassurance that she was okay on her own, still there’s a murmur of insecurity in her words as Bayley steps closer, brushes some of Sasha’s hair out of her face.

Sasha grabs Bayley’s wrist away from her face, pushing her hand away just as Ricochet leaves the room, but still the taller woman doesn’t seem to get the hint.

“Now that we’re alone…” Bayley trails off trying to wrap her arms around the R&B star's waist, but Sasha wiggles away.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Bayley asks with a searing pout, a face that used to make Sasha give in to anything.

Sasha sighs again, hoping the rush of air will ground her in preparation for what’s to come.

“Bayley” Sasha pauses making sure she has the woman’s full attention, “I broke up with you two months ago” she recounts as if Bayley has amnesia (some days she acts like it), “you have to stop coming to my work place, please if anything for your own self-respect”

“But baby, I still want you” Bayley strokes Sasha’s cheek for a solid moment, before Sasha’s pulling away.

“Yeah, you wanted me too much...that’s why I ended it”

“You still think I tried to sabotage yours and Becky’s friendship?” Bayley scoffs like there isn’t a possibility in the world.

“I saw the texts, Bay. You telling her to go back to the ditch she came from. I know she wouldn’t fake something like that.” Sasha pushes out, knowing it won’t be the last time Bayley will make her relive the trauma of almost losing her best friend.

“I just love you so much, I wanted you all to myself, Is that really a crime?”

Sasha laughs, because it’s actually funny how diluted her ex-girlfriend is now that she can see it from an outsider’s perspective.

“Okay, fine. I’ll leave you alone..” Bayley chimes in abruptly when Sasha goes to make her final escape, the purple haired woman pauses knowing there's going to be a clause, an “if”, an ultimatum, Bayley never came clear cut without a motive.

“Let me come to your place, pick up the rest of my things?” Bayley asks and it doesn’t seem as clipped and self-serving, a hint of the woman she was when Sasha fell in love with her.

“Fine” Sasha gives in, rushing out the door, not waiting for the brunette to follow.

\---

“What the fuck is she doing here?” Becky demands, standing in the hallway to Sasha's bedroom looking anything, but pleased at the current situation.

She’s referring to Bayley, of course, who’s too busy rummaging through Sasha’s large closet looking for an old hoodie to pay her any mind. 

“She’s just getting the rest of her stuff, and then hopefully we'll never see her again” Sasha comes in close, rubbing Becky’s back, knowing what a soft spot this was in their friendship, and that now was not the time for friendly jabs or stupid jokes.

“Sasha! Can you come here?” Bayley calls out to her seemingly in need of her help.

Sasha huffs in response, holding onto Becky’s biceps while looking her in the eye, “Go hide out in the kitchen, eat some gummy worms in my honor, and I’ll come find you when she’s gone” she coddles her friend like she’s protecting her from her abusive father, Becky pouts, but listens to the direction nonetheless.

When Sasha finds Bayley, there’s a mess of clothes on the floor that wasn’t there before this impromptu visit, and a confused brunette in the middle of it. Bayley stands idly waiting for Sasha to pay her full attention, holding up a pair of yellow converse.

“Were these mine?” Bayley asks with hardened sorrow as if grieving a loved one in the grayed muk of the worn laces. 

Sasha’s head begins to ache on instinct alone, her hand coming up to pinch the bridge of her nose, hoping to rid herself of some of the pain, “Just take them, it’s fine”

“Aww. thanks” the brunette chirps, suddenly happy again, as if Sasha had granted her one final wish. She tucks the shoes under her arm and continues swimming through the piles she’d made.

And it goes on like this for a while, Bayley fishing through the sea of Sasha’s belongings, and Sasha truly not caring enough about a stray pair of jeans, or a necklace she can’t remember ever wearing, until Bayley’s made a pile of  _ her  _ things in a corner and they’ve moved into the bathroom.

Until of course, Sasha’s doorbell rings.

“Where are you going?” Bayley looks up like a lost child when Sasha takes a single step toward the door.

“Did you not hear the bell ring?” Sasha asks, wondering when Bayley had gone deaf on top of clueless.

‘Yeah, but…”

Sasha rolls her eyes, walking away from her ex and whatever excuse she would try to supply.

She looks around for Becky as she walks towards the front of the house, assuming the red head would get the door, even if she was using it as her temporary excuse to get away from Bayley, but she was nowhere to be found.

Sasha follows the usual procedure, checking the front door camera to find Alexa of all people, waiting patiently for an answer. And Sasha doesn’t really know why she’s here or how she got her address, but in the moment she doesn’t care, swinging the door open in favor of going back to dealing with Bayley.

“Oh, hey” Alexa seems caught by surprise when the door opens, suddenly caught out of her train of thought. A brisk decay of thinking it would be a good idea to show up on Sasha’s doorstep on Becky’s word alone.

“Hey, yourself” Sasha squints behind a smug smile, trying to read Alexa’s before the words leave her mouth.

And there's that comfortable silence again, where they’re just taking each other in, feeling the air of safety around them, before Alexa is reminded of why she’s here by the soft fabric in her hands.

“I, uh, came to bring you back your jacket, uh Becky said now was a good time to come” Alexa offers sheepishly, holding onto the fabric.

_ Becky.  _ Sasha should have known.

“Uh, yeah, thanks” Sasha smiles, wanting to invite Alexa in, but not wanting to know what comes in the wake of Bayley and Alexa in the room.

But she doesn’t get the chance to make that decision, to bid Alexa goodbye, or bring her in to mingle with the chaos, instead there is a trampling voice that sends her bones into a realm of fear she hadn’t recognized for two months.

“What the fuck is she doing here?” pours the raged gusto from Bayley’s lungs, a moment of sizing her up, before stepping up to be in both of their personal space, “Stand back, babe, I’ll take care of this” Bayley gloats rolling up the sleeves of a sweater she’d nabbed from Sasha’s closet that was definitely not  _ hers. _

Alexa wants to laugh at the stranger in front of her, at the way Sasha rolls her eyes so hard Alexa’s afraid they might be stuck, but the way the woman so easily slips into calling Sasha “babe” makes her throat wobble.

“Hey, hey” Sasha halts the situation, pulling Bayley backwards by the hood of her sweater, “Bayley, this is Alexa. Alexa, this is Bayley,  _ my ex. _ ”

Alexa scowls momentarily, wondering what’s happening or how this whole setup had transpired.

_ Becky.  _ Alexa should have known.

“Alexa is friend, not foe” Sasha draws out as if Bayley is a child struggling to understand and this time Alexa does laugh, a good natured giggle at Sasha’s antics, a goofy side of the singer she hadn’t seen before.

Bayley’s features jolt into anger at the sound of Alexa’s joy in response to her misfortune, and Sasha notices the violent gruff, the sting of red on the tips of Bayley’s ears before anything can happen. There’s an eased moment of pushing at pulling, where Sasha is simultaneously pulling Alexa in and pushing Bayley out, metaphorically and physically.

“Okay, big guy, I think it’s time for you to go” Sasha chirps as she maneuvers Bayley through the threshold of the door and onto her porch.

“What about my stuff?” Bayley whines, suddenly more concerned about her material possessions than “protecting” Sasha.

Sasha thinks about being kind, giving Bayley one more chance to be normal, but the thought doesn’t stay for long.

“I’ll mail em to you” Sasha’s voice grates against the words as she slams the door in Bayley’s face with a sickening smile.

“Sorry about that” Sasha sighs for what feels like the hundredth time today, but Bayley has a way of making her feel like her brain isn’t getting enough oxygen, but breathing in again reminds her of only good things, the smell of Alexa’s cherry chapstick. “Do you wanna like stay? Watch a movie or something?”

There’s suddenly a slow clap that pulls them both out of the inevitability of sinking into each other. Becky stands in the doorway separating the dining room from the living room, clapping in serene amusement.

“Oh, do you feel proud of yourself?” Sasha breaks the synced rhythm of the applause, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I had to get my revenge somehow” Becky insists, “She tried to break up Becksha!”

“Becksha?” Alexa’s brow furrows.

“Oh Becksha. Like our ship name!” Becky springs into full explanation mode before Alexa can explain that confusion sprang more from the “break up” part rather than the concept of ship names, “Okay like...Alesha, hmm, or Slexa...okay no.” Becky shakes her head at herself, “okay um Banks. And Bliss. Nope. Yeah your names are not shippable”

“Huh?” Sasha laughs wondering when things had taken so many turns.

“No ship name? No ship” Becky points out raising her eyebrows as if her word was law, “I guess the world is right, it wasn’t meant to be for you two. Becksha on the other hand: smooth sailing”

Alexa laughs, but Sasha wants to argue the point, wants to make room for a ship name, or even change the narrative that the ship could sail just fine without a ship name, but that was revealing too much, maybe hinting too far at the fact that even only a fews days after knowing her, Sasha wanted more with Alexa.

So Sasha lets them have their little back and forth, trying different variations of fitting their names together with increasingly laughable outcomes, only tuning out when her phone buzzes in her pocket.

“Fuck” she exclaims as she opens the link Titus had sent her.

“What happened?” 

Sasha huffs before reading the headline of the article:

_ “Sasha Banks’ New Girlfriend? DJ Bayley Martinez Spotted Leaving Banks’ Los Angeles Home” _

Alexa has the decency to stay quiet in Sasha’s brooding annoyance.

Becky shrugs, “News travels fast”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter is extra cracked out im running on no sleep and all vibes
> 
> i kinda hate this one and im sure ill hate it more when im well rested anyway...


	5. here's one thing you can trust

It’s hard for Sasha to stay mad at the world when Alexa is in her living room, talking and laughing along with Becky in a way she hadn’t expected their personalities to blend. Because it was apparent that there was an abrasive side present within all of them, but it seemed there wasn’t any hint of ill will between any of them. Which left room for a comfortable rapport of back and forth, a steady stream of exploring the surface.

But good things never last forever. After a comment about needing to get back to her “assistant duties” which Sasha had learned to mean “I’m gonna go take a nap”, Becky excuses herself, leaving Sasha and Alexa alone.

“So?” Alexa voices, a sudden surge of nerves now that there was no one else for Sasha to pay attention to.

“I’m sorry about Bayley, again. I didn’t know Becky was scheming” An apology comes out again in the wake of wanting to make things clear, that Sasha hadn’t planned for the altercation, that she didn’t want to put Alexa in an uncomfortable situation. 

“Hey, no. It's fine, she seems...intense” The blonde attempts to reassure Sasha while making her dislike for her ex clear.

“Yeah,” Sasha huffs, “You can say that again” causing Alexa to laugh at her bewildered expression as if Sasha still hadn’t processed the magnitude of Bayley’s shortcomings.

“But she’s gone now, we can talk about something else” 

It feels somewhat of a weighted suggestion, a call for a deep dive into who they are and how they feel about it. It twists Sasha’s guts. A notion that learning more about each other will break the cool exterior of understanding, will make them too human to get along. But she knows that running and yearning can only be hindered two ways: finding love or heartbreak.

“You want a tour?” Sasha asks when Alexa runs her fingers over a corner of her coffee table, because it feels like an easy out that is far enough from running, a way to spend time together without losing her breath at the steady stream of blue irises stuck on her. A way to take her mind off the ill-intentioned headlines, the insensitive tweets.

“Sure” those blue irises glint at the offer, happy to be given access to Sasha’s inner sanctum.

Sasha lives in an above average estate, but there isn't much to write home about being that Alexa is used to this type of lifestyle, but Alexa doesn’t have the same large dining room, or seating space in her living room. A reminder that Alexa probably isn’t the only one to come around, that Sasha wasn’t as lonely, as needy as she was.

“This is where I usually do a lot of my writing” Sasha explains pushing open a door.

The room is an open expanse of hardwood tiles, the windows marked as glass from ceiling to floor offering a view of Sasha’s backyard, perfectly green grass, rose bushes, the gleam of open sky and drifting clouds. Inside the room itself is a large comfy-looking sofa, bean bag chairs, a large desk covered in sticky notes and notebooks, two guitars, old and well-worn, a keyboard, small plants littered about, a large fish tank lit up blue, Sasha’s many awards displayed on a shelf, cluttered, but pristine. It felt like a safe space, an escape. Alexa is trying not to think too heavily into Sasha offering entrance. Sasha gives Alexa the time to marvel at it, sitting on the sofa, admiring the way Alexa gets close to each plant to really take them in, the way she pokes at the fish tank, a soft “hello” at one of her clown fish.

“Is this the Grammy you stole from me?” Alexa jokes, pointing at the Album of the Year award they’d both been nominated for a few years ago.

“Stole?” Sasha laughs, “I think I won fair and square”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night”

Sasha eases back, waits for Alexa to take it all in.

“I forgot you own a whole hair dye company” the blonde states earnestly, admiring the FDA approved certificate placed on the corner of the display.

Sasha shrugs, “It was a passion project, I guess, I have every color ever made in my house even though I’m never gonna use them” she says shaking her head at the irony.

Alexa startles at her words, looking up to meet Sasha’s eyes suddenly, an expression of mischief playing in her eyes. A chance to mark new territory with a physical change.

“What?” Sasha laughs when Alexa doesn’t explain herself.

“Can we dye my hair?”

Sasha hasn’t seen that child-like wonder in a while, something innocent in the way she wants to go on an adventure with her, without the usual implications of fame, without the crippling desire to gain something from her. So “definitely” comes easy, a smile feeling natural on her lips among the cruel things in the world and things that make life worth it.

It spirals from there, Sasha no longer feeling held down by the rumors, the inquiries into their supposed public conflict, as Alexa picks a hot pink color from the options of dye. The elated nature remains as they reach Sasha’s bathroom, a towel over Alexa’s shoulders, plastic gloves. Alexa sits on the edge of Sasha’s large bathtub, Sasha squeezing out the dye into a container carefully making sure the deep pink hue doesn’t make contact with her marble countertop.

“So whole head, right?” Sasha hides her smirk, her back turned to Alexa, but the blonde can still make out her face in the mirror, a breath that reminds her of coffee stained t-shirts, and small apologies in a public bathroom. But she let’s Sasha have her fun.

“No!” Alexa cuts in, “just the ends!”

“I thought you wanted to commit?” the purple haired woman teases, running her fingers through her own hair.

“Just the ends.” Alexa orders solidly, a finger coming up in warning as Sasha approaches her with the hair dye and an applicator.

“What? You don’t trust me?” Sasha asks all smug, her shoulders losing their strength as she ducks to look Alexa in the eye.

“I trust you” comes as her response softer than Sasha could ever expect, a chance for Sasha to feel less comfortable in her teasing, a new place for vulnerability.

“How high do you wanna go?” Sasha swallows, casting her eyes back down at the materials in her hands.

It’s pretty seamless from there, an ease of working together, Sasha cooperating with Alexa’s wishes, not without the joking threat of covering her scalp in bubble gum color, Alexa turning for easier access, a flow of easy jokes that only permeate the surface of reality.

It’s not long before the act is complete, a few minutes of Sasha admiring her work, double checking for any missing pieces, and Sasha is settling herself on the edge of her bathroom counter, Alexa finding more comfort sat on the floor where the wall meets the tub, her knees curled into her chest as they wait the allotted time before it’s time to wash out the dye.

“What made you go for pink?” Sasha tries to fill the air when the soft pattern of giggles has died, hoping to ease through it without getting lost in the possibilities of connection.

“I don’t know” Alexa starts, always reaching for a qualifying opening, “Pink is like inner peace I guess”

And Sasha’s look of genuine confusion is enough for Alexa to not shoot walls up to protect herself, enough to make her laugh in the wake of what might have been perceived as judgement had it been coming from someone else. 

“Okay, like red feels like love for other people” Sasha nods where Alexa pauses, “but pink feels like self love, at least to me”

“That’s cute” Sasha smiles something dazed, a treat in the way Alexa makes it seem so simple.

“I’ve just seen some really low lows and I just need the reminder sometimes” Alexa shrugs, halting her movement when she remembers the wet paste still in her hair. 

“You don’t have to explain yourself” Sasha words carry against the tiles.

“I know” Alexa remarks bashfully, “I just feel like I can tell you things” she looks up assuming she’ll find recoil, a disgust at her openness, but Sasha only smiles at the bricks of trust being solidly placed with concrete. 

“The floor is yours” Sasha jokes in a far off voice, adding humor into the cracks where things feel too heavy being her specialty. It gets the desired effect, a smile from the blonde, soon replaced with a hint of something more serious.

“I guess I’ve just always had an issue loving others for a long time, ever since being outed...its like I don’t know who people really are, it just wasn’t the same to be out 10 years ago...you know that” Alexa supplies against flaming gestures and running across words.

“That makes sense, it takes time to feel like you can trust again. But the world is changing for the better, at least I like to hope” 

“Is that why you waited so long?” Alexa asks, not expecting the words to feel like she’s asking for a secret, but it was still something Sasha had yet to discuss on any public platform, anything concerning her sexuality other than the label she’d chosen.

“Yes and no” Sasha shrugs, toying with the frayed edges of her shirt, “As stupid as it is to say, it was sort of a career move, a lot of record execs telling me to keep quiet, but I’ve been meaning to do it for a while, your tweet just seemed like a good opportunity, so thanks for that I guess”

Alexa sobers her smile, Sasha wondering what she finds funny. “What?” comes the question, but it doesn’t hold any malice.

“It’s just ironic, the trolls claiming I forced you to come out, me being mortified that I might have put you in that position because I know exactly what it’s like, and then now you’re thanking me for it” 

“Isn’t that the whole predicament we got going on right now? The world not being able to see what’s really going on” Sasha tries again to gain a laugh, but Alexa shrugs like it’s not something she wants to be a joke.

“I wish there wasn’t that divide though, like on one hand there’s so much of my life I wanna keep private, but sometimes I wish I could just pull up on twitter with all the actual facts” Alexa huffs clearly lingering over thoughts she’s had for a long time.

“I get that, like when you were outed, there wasn’t anyone calling out the girl that did it. They made you out to be a demon, instead of a victim, and I held that for so long, this idea that privacy didn’t matter if you’re ‘exposing’ some vile secret” Sasha spills before she knows what she’s doing.

“You followed me back then?” Alexa smiles in spite of the topic, neglecting to pay mind to Sasha’s weighted answer, filing it away, but pushing forward on the desire to keep Sasha from regretting her honesty. Not wanting to re-open the trauma of feeling like nothing could fix the hole in her heart at 14.

“You’re a brat” Sasha laughs, throwing an unused glove at Alexa.

“I’m the brat?” Alexa scoffs.

“You heard me... but really you were an up and coming pop star, my age, who was queer, of course you were on my radar”

  
  


“Good to know” Alexa squints as if testing the other girl, wondering the exact capacity of which young Sasha, yet to break into the industry, had followed Alexa’s career.

The timer on Sasha’s phone goes off, signaling that it’s time to wash the dye out of Alexa’s hair, a task performed in Sasha’s sink.

Tanned hands come up to soothe shampoo through newly pink locks, a focus on the pink seeping down the drain, but the strong tint of rose remains, a testament to the way in which Sasha and Alexa won’t let rumors and hashtags wash away the friendship they’ve created.

“You like it?” Sasha asks, as Alexa is almost done drying the pink ombre, her voice cutting in just loud enough to be heard over the hair-dryer. 

“Yeah. Thank you.” Alexa hopes Sasha knows its gratitude for more than just the new color.

\---

There’s a press of joy in the air long after Alexa leaves. A feeling like the start of something. Sasha didn’t mind where that capacity lay, just knew that Alexa kept reminding her to not judge a book by its cover, to decide for herself what mattered aside from what the public believed.

She spoke to Titus that night to check in and things seemed to be getting back to normal, her breath becoming more steady as “ _ Banks vs. Bliss”  _ stopped trending, the world seeming okay for the moment as she lounged on the coach with Becky. 

Their tranquil energy only clouded by the sound of Becky choking on her Cheez-its.

“You good?” Sasha huffs, knowing Becky to be just as over dramatic as she is, the voice in her head taunting her with “I told you so” when the day seemed to be going too well.

“Yeah, sorry” Becky swallows again trying to bring the air back into her lungs, “Charlotte just texted me”

And Sasha perks up at that, the nature of Becky’s tone worried and put off, the opposite of the usual well-placed joy when the older blonde woman pays her attention.

Sasha sits up to face her when Becky fails to supply an explanation. She lowers the volume of the TV meeting the frightened gaze of her best friend. “What?”

“Alexa had an allergic reaction to the hair dye, they just rushed her to the hospital,” Becky has the decency to at least look somewhat sorry about it.

Sasha inhales solemnly, wondering when her life had turned into a morbid sitcom.

“Fuck my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall really be pressing me for updates huh??? well here ya goooo


	6. when a good thing goes bad, its not the end of the world

“You realize how bad this looks, right?” Titus’ voice reigns firm over the phone the next morning as the headlines pour in.

“Alexa Bliss Rushed to the Hospital After Using ‘Banks Beauty Hair Dye’”

“Bliss v. Banks Continues”

“Did Banks Sabotage Bliss?”

Sasha had to ask Becky to stop reading them out loud.

“How did they even figure out what brand it was?” Sasha exclaims pacing in her kitchen with her manager on speaker.

“I don’t know” Titus sighs, “but it doesn’t change that they do.”

“Titus, you don’t understand. That dye has been in my house for like 5 years, I didn’t do it on purpose”

“You think I don’t know that, but that would only make it sound like you did want to hurt her” the older man tries to reason with her, “So we're writing a statement for this one. It’s too blown up to ignore it, we don’t want people to stop buying your dye, or thinking you attempted murder.”

“Agreed, but what do we even say? How do I explain that she was in my house? And that it was an accident? If everyone thinks we hate each other?” Sasha whines like this is too complicated to fix.

Becky pouts from the kitchen island, solemnly eating her frosted flakes as she listens raptly to the two try to figure out a plan.

“If we say we’re friends they’re not gonna believe it” Sasha tries to warn Titus.

“I’m still putting it on the list as an option” Titus says anyway, Becky and Sasha can hear his quick pace of typing through the phone.

“What if we say you had nothing to do with it? Or we have Alexa confirm that it wasn’t Banks Beauty?”

“I don’t wanna lie that hard, Titus”

“Well, you don’t wanna tell the truth either” Titus laughs, always entertained by Sasha’s indecisiveness.

“I’m sorry. These statements always feel so calculated. I wanted to make music, not deal with people’s assumptions.”

“Maybe we can consult Alexa’s camp, so we don’t negate each other?” Titus tries, hoping it's something closer to what Sasha would be comfortable with, but Sasha doesn’t have a chance to answer as Becky supplies a new idea.

“What if you both do like an instagram live together? That way there isn’t a question about either of you lying, and it’ll be a united front.” Becky supplies evenly, her cereal forgotten in favor of weighing the pros of her new plan.

She’s met with silence, Sasha looking up at her like she’d forgotten she was in the room. Then Titus laughs, not judgemental, but something of glee.

“What?” Becky shrugs at the lack of verbal answer.

“Becky, you’re a genius”

\---

“Hey” Alexa picks up her phone from her hospital bed, her voice still sounding strained.

“Hi” Sasha breathes out as if the worry was leaving her body, that Alexa actually picked up, that she isn’t dead. “Are you okay? Are you still at the hospital?”

“I’m fine, Sash” the blonde tries to reassure her firmly, “And yeah, they’re gonna discharge me in a few hours.”

“I’m so sorry Alexa, I swear I didn’t know, I would never try to hurt y-” Sasha rushes out knowing that Alexa was alright, it seemed like the only thing to do.

“Hey, Sasha, stop. I forgive you, okay? You didn’t make me allergic to hair dye, it’s not your fault, neither of us knew” Alexa cuts her off, hoping to cut short any avenues of Sasha blaming herself.

“I know, but-”

“No buts, I’m gonna be fine, and even if I wasn’t, you didn’t do anything I didn’t ask you to do” 

Sasha breathes again letting the words sink into her brain, giving the world the chance to catch it’s breath too.

“What the hell happened?” Sasha shakes her head at herself, truly at a loss for how things seemed to keep going wrong for her.

“I was just laying in bed, and I noticed all these hives on my chest and then I couldn’t breathe, but I called 911 right away, and now I’m okay and that’s all that matters.” the blonde explains, “If it makes you feel any better they said I don’t have to chop off the pink cuz the reaction probably won’t happen again” she laughs.

The light sound is enough to actually reassure Sasha for the first time today, it gives her incentive to stop being so wound up about everything.

“I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t do your whole head” she jokes, gaining Alexa’s laughter as reward once more.

“Brat” she chimes when her laughter ends.

“You’re so mean to me” Sasha defends herself.

“You’re the one who tried to kill me”

“Very funny” 

“What? Too soon?” the blonde glowts at Sasha remaining unimpressed.

They laugh together in a moment of remembering that things always seemed easy when it was just them, even with the obstacles of the outside world, those problems became so small when they were only paying attention to each other.

“Charlotte said not to look at any social media right now, is it really that bad?” Alexa asks against her better judgement, too curious not to at least try to get some information without completely disregarding her manager’s warning.

“Ummm It’s pretty intense to be honest, a lot of people telling you to press charges, but most people think I either had nothing to do with it or that it’s your team scheming to make my brand look bad” Sasha explains, trying to gauge the most common opinions.

“Fuck! Why is everyone so stuck on this?” Alexa sighs, “What do we do now?”

“Well, Becky had this idea that we do a live and set the record straight, if that's something you’d wanna do?” Sasha lays out her option hoping to get Alexa on board.

“I’m down for that. I can’t even open twitter without seeing hate, how about I call you later when I’m home, with Charlotte and Titus and we’ll get an actual plan going?” Alexa agrees, hoping to get this over with.

“I’ll be awaiting your call, princess”

“Bye, brat”

\---

“So everyone’s connected?” Titus asks, waiting for confirmation, from Sasha, Alexa, and Charlotte.

“Yep” Alexa chirps.

“Yes, sir” Sasha adds.

“I’m here” Charlotte voices.

“Heyyy, Charloooottteee” Becky drags out, unnecessarily making herself known to the entire four-way call.

“Hello, Rebecca” the professional woman responds dryly, smiling secretly at Becky’s antics while trying to maintain her image.

“Anyway,” Titus remarks, one of the few times he neglects to fall victim to Becky’s charm, opting to focus on the business at hand, “Sasha and I thought it would be best to be upfront about their friendship and tell the truth about the hair dye incident as well as what happened at the coffee shop the other day.”

“I think that would make sense to do,” Charlotte adds, “but how do we know the media is going to see it as genuine?”

“I feel like we have to hope for the best, it's not like we have too many other options at this point” Sasha offers, losing a lot of the rage from earlier in the day, replaced with a determination to fix things.

“I guess there’s no time better than right now to give it a shot. Alexa?” Charlotte calls out to her client, suddenly searching for her opinion.

“No time like the present”

“Good. Okay. How about tomorrow at 12pm, Sasha’s estate?” Titus asks, seeming to take a physical note of it as he says it out loud.

“We don’t have anything scheduled for then, so 12pm is great actually” Charlotte confirms.

“Lit” Becky’s voice rings out without hesitation, “Operation: Fix Banks and Bliss is a go!”

\---

“Becky please kill that fly!” Sasha demands a little annoyed at the fact that there’s a fly buzzing around her living room as she tries to tamp down her nerves.

“Do you want me to set up the camera, or do you want me to kill the fly?” Becky asks, knowing Sasha isn’t angry at her, just at the situation, she waits for Sasha to meet her eyes, the ceremonious eye roll to occur, before returning to the task at hand.

“Hey, it’s gonna be fine” Alexa tries to reassure her, laying a comforting hand on Sasha’s thigh, as the R&B singer fixes her hair for what seems like the hundredth time.

“I know, I just want it to go right” Sasha’s hand comes to cover Alexa’s hand against the voices in her head telling her to straighten her back, pull away from the warmth.

“Okay I’m gonna start the instagram live so it should be going in the next few seconds” Becky warns them, but the words die without an answer, Sasha looking at Alexa like she’s a security blanket , Alexa holding her hand for more than the sake of comfort.

Everything seems still for the time being, like the world could finally be on their side if this one thing went right, if they just told the truth. Sasha didn’t know where the truth ended, how much of it told Alexa of her feelings. Everything lies calm, save for the shifting buzz of the fly cruising through the air around them, a reminder of the possible things to go wrong like a looming creature waiting for the right time to swoop in and fuck everything up.

The fly lands on Sasha’s cheek just as Becky’s quiet voice chimes, “Okay, we’re live”

But neither starlet responds, Sasha too engrossed in Alexa’s eyes, Alexa more concerned about the insect crawling on her skin.

The slap rings out louder than necessary, the acoustics of Sasha’s dome shaped living space provide the right air for the sound to carry. 

“Guys!” Becky calls again, before Sasha even has time to react, before Alexa has time to explain herself, “We’re liveee”

“Fuck!” Alexa exclaims realizing the slap was caught on camera from the worried tone of Becky’s voice. Surging into panic mode she gets up from the couch out of frame.

Sasha huffs, holding her cheek, feeling as though the world truly was against them now and they’re was nothing they could do about it.

“Turn the camera off, Becks”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk how i feel about this one...but the saga continues, theyre just digging the hole deeper and deeper...

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, lemme know if you wanna see more.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always greatly appreciated.
> 
> Tumblr- eyesfadefromgreentogray


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